Yugioh! 5D's: Incorruptible
by AvatarofBahamut
Summary: As the battle between the Crimson Dragon and the Earthbound Gods begins again, one girl finds herself pulled in by the darkness. However, some people are not so easily swallowed, one might say such a person is… incorruptible. DISCONTINUED... Because of life and too many project already.
1. 1st Entry: Summer Vacation Time!

Incorruptible- A Yu-gi-oh! 5D's Fanfiction

Written by AvatarofBahamut (LittleBlackDragon)

1st Entry: Summer Vacation Time!

Dusk had fallen on Neo Domino City, the city lights making the sky appear black and fogged over. A bus was traveling along the busy streets, passing flashing billboards and massive screens showcasing duels. The night air was thick with the smell of the various culinary delights being served in that area of the city, and noisy with the sounds of people chattering and vehicles blaring music or beeps.

A tall young man, Caucasian in appearance, waited patiently at the end of the street in from of the towering apartment buildings that lined up together in back of him. He wore a light green sweatshirt, khakis, and brown sandals, all which seemed to have seen better days. His caramel hair was cut very short and slicked back by a decent amount of hair gel, away from his olive green eyes. His pale skin appeared almost white for the few seconds the bus' lights glared in his face. He squinted as he watched people come off the bus, wondering if the person he had been waiting for had finally arrived.

Several locals departed from the bus, and his hopes sank. He had been waiting for his friend to show up since this morning, but her flight had been delayed for several hours due to a terrible thunderstorm on the Pacific Ocean. He had known her since he was in junior high, and had kept in close contact with her even when they had parted ways to attend college. He had gone to Neo Domino City's prestigious Tech and Engineering Academy, while she had stayed in the states to attend medical school.

But now, after three intense years of study, his friend was coming to spend the summer her in Neo Domino, staying with him and his beloved fiancé. He adjusted his glasses as he saw the last few people get off the bus. But there was no sign of his friend. They were all local or tourists from elsewhere in Japan. He rummaged around in his pocket and pulled out an old black video phone and flipped it open, checking for any texts, videos, or missed calls. There weren't any.

"Damn it, where are you? The least you could do is shoot me a text or something!"

He was about to turn around when he heard a thud from a final person jumping off the bus.

"Finally!" He heard a female voice and the sound of someone cracking their knuckles. He looked up from his phone, and started to laugh a little. After eight hours, she finally made it.

"Well, you sure took your sweet time!" He called to her, putting his phone away. The young woman looked at him and a smile slowly grew on her face.

"Ha! Always waiting impatiently, as usual. You haven't changed a bit."

The dark skinned woman was just a little younger than him, standing about a foot shorter than him. Her short black hair was loosely tied back, with strands on either side curling downward. She was wearing a black t-shirt and denim shorts, and a pair of worn tennis shoes. She hauled a large tan suitcase at her side and a light blue gym bag on her shoulder.

"No? I'm going to get married in a few months you know."

"Yeah, you said your future wife was waiting up with you." His friend was still smile, looking as if she might laugh with joy.

"She is. She's back up in the apartment watching TV." He offered to take her suit case and gym bag, but she insisted she could carry it herself.

"I'm a big girl, you know."

"Yeah, I know. I thought I might make the task of carrying your junk upstairs a little easier."

"My junk, eh?" She wondered humorously. The man finally let out a laugh.

"I'm really glad to see you, Rasima."

His friend followed him to his apartment building, where he swiped his key card to let the two of them in.

"Same here. And the best part is you have me for the whole summer. How about it, Simon?"

The two of them walked down the plain white hallway where the mailboxes were lined up along the walls. The fact this building even had them was a sign of its age. They approached the elevator and got in, pushing the button for the tenth floor.

"It might be outfitted with some fancy gadgets, but this building is probably older than most others in the city. It's got a history."

The elevator creaked upwards as the doors closed.

"It doesn't seem as decked out as some of the others I saw when the bus rode into town." Rasima commented.

"Yeah, the ones you probably saw were part of the Tops district, that's where the richest people in the city live. They truly have the best of everything the city has to offer – for the right price."

"Doesn't seem much different from home. Rich people like to live in their own little world."

"Some, but others maybe not." Simon replied to his friend.

The doors reopened on the tenth floor, the hallways having the same old style as the lobby. The doors were a dark woody brown, with digital markers posted on each of them flashing the room number and the last name of the tenant. They walked down to the end of the hall and turned right and walked past a few more rooms. The man kept his key card in hand and stopped in front of the room that was labeled "1057- Nash".

"Welcome to our humble abode." He opened the door and called to his fiancé.

"Kane! Rasima's here!"

"I'll be right there!" She called back from inside the apartment. Simon invited Rasima in where she took a seat on their brown leather couch. The walls were painted a pale green, contrasting with the faded white floors. There was a brown rug in front of her, with Simon's big 46 inch digital television sitting on a large table against the wall. A live broadcast of a turbo duel at the Kaiba Dome was on screen, with the surround sound echoing on all sides of the room. Rasima looked over her shoulder to see a small set of steps and four rooms, one was probably the kitchen, one was the bathroom, and the other two were probably the guestroom and Simon and Kane's room, she thought. She could pick up the faint smell of ramen in the kitchen and chuckled to herself.

"You must be Simon's friend, Rasima! It's so good to finally meet you!"

Rasima looked up to see a young Japanese woman, even tinier than Rasima herself was. She had died her hair bright purple, but her eyes were a soft almond color. Kane was wearing a white t-shirt and jeans, but was walking around the room barefoot.

She noticed Rasima's attention was partially drawn in by the TV until Rasima greeted her.

"So, you're Simon's fiancé? Glad I could finally meet the woman that's got Simon singing poems into the phone." Rasima grinned.

Kane blushed.

"He does that?"

"She's just talking about how I tend to go on about you, dear." Simon appeared and started picking up Rasima's luggage.

"You're going to insist on taking it yourself?" Rasima asked him.

"Hey, learn to just chill and be a guest, Rasima. You're on vacation!" He took the things and hauled them to the far room, where he set them just inside the door.

"There, at least they're out of the way!"

Kane sat down next to Rasima and folded her hands as she looked at the TV.

"Are you a duelist, Rasima?" She asked, noticing her interest in the duel taking place. It was a title match between the current champion and an up and coming duelist from Lithuania.

"Not really. I have a deck though. Heck! My parents even bought me a D-Wheel for my 16th Birthday instead of a car. It should be here tomorrow, actually. But… I usually prefer to watch. It's really cool just seeing how people counter one another and use their heads to pull some interesting combos."

"What she means is she's not very good. She never got passed the local tournaments back in the states, though." Simon smirked, "I, on the other hand, got as far as nationals."

"Not true! I placed first in the local tournament once!" Rasima replied back.

"Yeah," Simon acknowledged, "But then you got your ass handed to you in the first round of the state tournament."

"Ok, fine, I'm not a very good duelist. I never have been," Rasima admitted, "I'm more suited to learning open-heart surgery anyways. But that doesn't mean you get to gloat, got that, Simon?"

"All right, all right, I'll stop being a jerk. You know I like to push people's buttons sometimes." Simon laughed as he sat on the couch, holding a beer in his hand.

"Hey, that's right! Simon told me you were studying to be a surgeon." Kane remembered as the three of them watched the duel on the big screen. Things were down to the wire, and the duelist from Lithuania was one turn away from getting toasted by the champion's signature card, Red Dragon Archfiend.

"That's right. I get to play with things and rearrange people's organs to save their lives." Rasima tilted her head.

"You make it sound like you're turning people into horrible zombies or Frankensteins like a mad scientist or something." Simon poked her.

"Hey, if you can be sarcastic and crack jokes, so can I."

"See? Being away from your friends, you forget to unwind and have a little fun." He thought for a moment before disappearing, then reappearing with two more beers for Rasima and Kane.

"I wasn't having fun before?" Rasima asked.

"I've known you since you were 13. You never really liked having other people help you with things and you always wanted to get the work done yourself. Like with me and wanting to carry your luggage just now."

"Well…I just…want to be a person people can depend on, you know? I don't want people babying me like my parents did back home."

"Hey, from the conversations we've had, it sounds like you're doing just fine. Just remember there's a balance to everything, ok?"

"Hmmm… wouldn't that go for you as well, dear?" Kane tickled Simon's arm.

"I suppose."

There was a loud roaring sound that came from the TV all of a sudden. They all turned their attention to the duel, which had just ended. Red Dragon Archfiend had taken the challenger's remaining life points, meaning the current Champion got to keep his title. The challenging duelist got off of his Runner as his Crew came in to assist him in having his Runner taken in for repairs. The Champion also got off of his Runner as the spotlight followed him down the track, his white suit reflecting the light.

"It's over! Once again Jack Atlas remains the King of Riding Duels! Can anyone dethrone the Master of Faster?" The MC's voice seemed to blare from the speakers. The Champion removed his helmet to reveal a young man a few years younger than the three people in the room watching on the TV. He had an angular face, with steely violet eyes and golden blonde hair styled like the crowned mane of a lion, with beaded tassels on either side of his face and earrings shaped in the letter "A".

"Hmm…flashy young thing, isn't he?"

"Yeah, he's only 18 I hear, but he beat the last Champion, who was several years his senior, and completely wiped him out with that aggressive deck of his." Simon noted.

"He's also from the Tops, too. Or that's the story, anyway. It would explain why he dresses like a Daredevil and has that cocky attitude." Kane answered in response.

"Cocky attitude? Have you met this guy, Kane?" Rasima asked.

"No, not at all. But I've seen some of the interviews on TV, and let me tell you… he's the king. He knows it, and he acts like it." Kane replied flatly.

"Ah, I see."

"You're going to learn a lot of things about this city while you're here. The people, the places… Tomorrow I was thinking you and Kane and I could go to Kaibaland and go on all the rides, since it will be Sunday and it's an off day for us."

"Oh yeah, is it anything like the one they built in America?"

"You'll have to wait until you get there."

Rasima slurped down her beer before letting out a loud yawn.

"You tired? It wouldn't be a surprise if you were feeling some serious jet lag. It's quite a time jump between here and the states!"

Rasima stretched her arms before getting up to find a place to recycle her beer. Simon pointed her in the right direction.

"You know, getting forty winks doesn't sound like a bad idea." She felt another yawn coming on.

"Don't let us keep you then, sleep well." Kane called after her as she made her way into the guest room.

"Good night, you guys!" Rasima called back to Simon and Kane.

"Good night, Rasima! Don't let the bed bugs bite. And if they do, beat 'em black and blue!"

"Yes, Simon! I'll show them no mercy!" She declared sarcastically. So, the young woman closed the door behind her and went swiftly to unpacking her things. The room was very plain, with the same color scheme as the rest of the apartment. There was a decent full-sized bed with white sheets and a hand-sewn blue quilt, a dresser, a writing desk, and a closet. She set her luggage on the bed and began opening her things and placing them where she saw fit.

However, the light from outside provided little help, so Rasima went to the end of the room to turn on the light. As she did this, she saw a sudden shadow flicker beside the light switch. A gray spider was hanging from the lampshade, trying to spin a web inside.

"Sorry, dude, unless you're going to pay rent, you can't stay here," She carefully gathered the small arachnid into her hands after opening the window. She looked outside at the busy city before holding out her hand to let the spider crawl onto the railing underneath the window.

She shut the window, but looked out as the spider crawled away.

"Good thing my dog wasn't here, he would have danced on that spider's head." She muttered to herself. As she turned around, she felt a sudden chill in the room. However, it quickly passed.

"Hmmm…I should definitely get some sleep. It'll be good to officially start this summer vacation!" She changed into her red PJs before collapsing on the bed.

She dreamed peacefully, her mind caught in a soothing state of stillness and rest. She had hopes for a summer filled with fun and exploration, the first such summer she had in a long time. After working her butt off in High School and the last three years on college, she deserved it, didn't she? However, this summer would not be what she would be expecting.

For at this time, fate was swirling around the city of Neo Domino, preparing it for a jump into the abyss of a war long forgotten, a war that would end that very summer. And everyone would have their role to play.

….

Author's Notes:

This fanfiction was originally intended to be M rated to allow for an exploration of darker themes. However, due to the lack of traffic, and the fact that so far there hasn't been anything worthy of the M-Rating (by the fiction ratings definition), the author has lowered the rating to T (or PG13). The fanfiction contains some profanity, some violence and references to violence, and some suggestive situations.

**Also, just a friendly reminder that Reviews and feedback are greatly appreciated. Thanks!**


	2. 2nd Entry: A Fortune Teller's Omen

2nd Entry: A Fortune Teller's Omen

Simon drove out his old black Cadillac from the underground garage beneath the apartment building until he came over by the front door, waiting to pick up his friend and fiancé. The morning breeze was cool and the sun hung in the sky brightly with only a cloud or two occasionally passing by. He honked his horn a few times to hurry them along as the two others exited the building to join him in the car.

"We're coming, dear!" Kane shouted happily as she ran and jumped into the passenger seat next to Simon. She had put on a lavender tank top and black jeans. Rasima climbed in after them in the back seat before letting out a heavy sigh. The young woman pulled the hood of her navy sweatshirt and adjusted her dark denim shorts.

"You couldn't let me sleep another hour?"

"Not if you don't want to wait in line for an hour to get tickets, my friend." Simon smirked, briefly looking at them over the tip of his sunglasses. He was put on a white t-shirt and his only pair of brown slacks.

"You girls ready for Kaibaland?"

"You got it," Rasima affirmed.

"Of course." Kane smiled at him. Simon tried to contain a brief blush before hitting the accelerator and taking off. They rode down the massive highways of the city, taking in the sights and points out key areas and buildings to Rasima as they went. There were a variety of smells and lights and music that seemed like pieces of cloth woven together to make a fabric of life as it was in Neo Domino City. The sun shown down on everything, making the city seem all the bright with the ocean just off to one side, and further inland to the other.

"Hey, what's that island over there?" Rasima noticed a patch of land not too far off from Neo Domino City, which looked like a burnt scar in the middle of the ocean.

"Oh, you wouldn't want to know about that place," Kane discouraged her curiosity, "That's just the Satellite. Only criminals e live there."

Simon looked over for a split second to see Rasima's face twisting into an expression of concern. He quickly turned his gaze back to the road and they soon took a moment as they stopped at a traffic light.

"I don't know much about it, but a lot of people in the city look down on the Satellite and the people that live there. It's true that some are as they say, but hey, there are criminals living in the Daimon area too, and that's right here in the city."

He looked at Kane with concern.

"Rasima's going to be with us for at least three months, we shouldn't hide the fact that this city has problems. Every place on earth does."

"I suppose…" Kane sighed, "I just hear really scary rumors from my friends, you know? And then the stuff Sector Security says…"

"Sector Security?" Rasima asked. The traffic light turned green and Simon was forced to keep his eyes on the road again.

"Sector Security is the police force in Neo Domino City. They are run by the Public Security Maintenance Bureau, which is basically the organization that runs the entire city…"

"Oh," Rasima suddenly remembered that Simon had mentioned something to this effect in their e-mail correspondence, "Right, didn't you say before that Neo Domino City isn't run by a typical civilian government?"

"Right. The Bureau basically acts as the government and the law enforcement." Kane explains.

"It seems like a very different system compared to the rest of the country…" Rasima commented.

"It is." Simon commented, his attention fixed on the highway.

"So, what does Sector Security say about the Satellite?"

"Well… like I said, mostly that criminals and the lowest of undesirables live there. They say people from the Satellite are almost never allowed into the city, if even that… they say it's for our protection. In fact, one of the harshest punishments you can get for committing a crime is being deported to the Satellite…"

"Almost? Have there ever been people from the Satellite who've lived in the city?"

"Not that I know of," Kane shook her head, "But I've heard it's possible under certain circumstances, like if security made a very terrible mistake."

"If they admit to doing it," Simon muttered, "They tend to think they don't make them."

"I'm sure they're just doing their job, dear."

"You're probably right; I just don't trust everything people tell me, especially the government." Simon smiled, "You know me, Kane. "

Just then, they rolled up into a massive parking lot, where many cars and other vehicles were already parked. It went for several blocks, and it took the group fifteen minutes to find a parking space. As the car finally pulled into a spot further down the road, Rasima still found herself looking in the direction of the Satellite. It sounded worse than Guantanamo.

"Well, we're here, you guys!"

Everyone got out of the car and made their way down the rows of cars. Rasima could see the massive, detailed statues of Blue-Eyes White Dragons from even further back. The Kaibaland logo was flashing at the entrance gate in big red letters, with the ticket booth just off to the side. There was already a line of people gathering from what the three of them could see.

Simon got in the line and told Kane and Rasima to wait for him.

"There are benches over there. I'll get everyone's tickets so we all don't have to stand in line."

"Ok, so I'll pay you back later then?" Rasima asked.

"Sure. But just relax, ok, Rasima? Remember, you're on vacation and here to have FUN."

"Right." She managed to crack a smile as Simon hurried to the line. Rasima and Kane went to sit on one of the brightly colored benches just outside the amusement park. The two of them sat together, watching people go in and out, the sun rising in the sky, and security guards patrolling along. There were small trees planted along the walkway up to the gate as well. The sounds of carnival music in the air and the scent of fried foods and candy filled the senses, and reminded Rasima of the fairs and amusement parks she had been to back home.

"Simon's been really eager to come here, but he said he wanted to wait until the three of us were all together," Kane commented wistfully, "You two must be really close as friends."

"Yeah, we've been like brother and sister ever since we were 13. My older brother spent a lot of time at church and later the seminary. But Simon and I always hung out together."

"I see."

"And maybe we'll be friends, too. Even best friends. Who knows?"

Kane laughed.

"I'd really like that."

The two of them started chatting for a while until Simon finally returned from being in line for thirty minutes.

"Man, I'm glad we came on the day and time we did, usually the average wait time is a whole hour! Anyway, I got the tickets and the vendor said all we have to do is turn them into the security guy at the gate."

Simon handed them each their ticket before heading up to the gate. The security guard looked them over as they gave him their tickets. He exchanged them for wristbands, which they promptly put on. They were also given 100 tickets to spend on rides and other commodities in the park.

"These wristbands are your key back in if you decide the leave the park and come back today. Now, enjoy your time at Kaibaland."

The officer talked in a rather somber tone despite his attempt to friendly to incoming guests. Kane felt tempted to laugh and Rasima found it a little odd that a guard would be accepting tickets rather than someone who worked for the park. But, perhaps they were worried about criminals getting in? Rasima's mind wandered as the three of them were let inside the main square of the park.

As they went in, three of them were caught off guard by the voice of an old man.

"Hey kids! You interested in getting your fortune told?"

They turned their heads to see just over by the gate was an elderly gentleman in a black yukata with a deck of Duel Monster cards sitting at a booth just outside of a dark red tent.

"Oh! What a great way to start off our day! Let's get our Fortune told, Simon! Please?" Kane said enthusiastically as she turned around to approach him, tugging Simon along by the arm.

"Sure, but I'm pretty certain we're not 'kids' though…"

Rasima followed behind.

"You two can go on ahead; I'm not really into this sort of thing." She said flatly.

"Oh, come on, Rasima! Why don't you give it a try? It could be fun!" Kane encouraged her. The three of them approached the man, who grinned at them all in a cordial manner.

"I am Master Ki, reader of fortunes and expert at divination. For the reasonable prince of two tickets, I will use the power of the cards to read your past, present, and future."

"Do you think you could read a fortune for both me and my fiancé?" Kane asked the man with delight. The elderly man nodded approvingly.

"Ah, of course, I have a special rate for couples! Three tickets!"

Kane handed the man her tickets and he motioned for them to come inside the tent as he picked up his deck.

"We'll be out in a bit, Rasima, sit tight."

Rasima plunked herself down on another bench nearby and looked around. The main square of Kaibaland was full of gift shops and food vendors and even a small history museum. Signs pointed in every direction to the Ferris wheel, the roller coasters, the dueling arenas, and every other attraction the park had to offer. She had heard that Neo Domino City itself was like an amusement park to some because of the luxurious lives many people were allowed to lead and all the latest technology that had been integrated into the most essential functions of the city.

But then there was the Satellite. A place where the lowest of society lived. But people outside were not allowed into the city normally, so most people had no idea what it was like there. What would a person from the Satellite be able to tell her if she got a chance to ask? How would it stack up with what the people of the city would say?

After several minutes, Simon and Kane finally emerged from the tent. Kane had a delighted look on her face, while Simon looked like he was trying to contain himself from laughing. The old man returned to his booth.

"May fortune favor you both, and good luck in your marriage!"

Rasima waited on the bench as the two approached her.

"Simon! Don't you think it was quite entertaining? The man was spot on about us and the future he read! Oh, I can't wait until we're married."

"He must be very good at reading people, I'll give him that. But I think the future will be whatever we make of it, Kane. Together as husband as wife."

Rasima shook her head and smiled. Simon had warned her before she came that things might get lovey-dovey between the two of them every now and then. But, she didn't mind. In fact, to her it seemed rather cute and she appreciated being able to see her friend so happy. She was secretly a hopeless romantic herself, but would never admit it to anyone, not even to Simon. He would tease her about it on occasion.

"Hey, Rasima, just think! When you get yourself a boyfriend, you can drag him into doing stuff like this too! And maybe it will be my turn to roll my eyes and say 'oh brother'!"

"Yeah, well, I think I can find something more annoying to drag my hypothetical boyfriend into than having his fortune read. Maybe a sappy TV chick flick, or one of my favorite Operas."

Just then, the old man cut in.

"Speaking of fortunes, aren't you getting yours read, you lady?" Master Ki asked Rasima. She was hesitant at first, still initially rejecting the idea.

"I don't know. Like I said, I'm not really into this kind of supernatural stuff."

"Hey, it's only two tickets and it only takes a few minutes. You won't really loose much by doing it." Kane prodded her. Rasima thought about it for a moment. She was reluctant to do so, but she decided perhaps it couldn't hurt. Besides, she might like to know what this man would have to say about her. Whether it would actually be her 'fortune' would remain to be seen.

"Your friend is right, what have you to lose?"

"Oh, alright. If Kane stops pestering me about it, and we get to go on one of the roller coasters next, then I'll do it."

"We can do that." Simon chuckled.

Kane giggled before giving Rasima two thumbs up.

"Go for it, Rasima! Simon and I will be waiting right here!"

Rasima's smile faded and her expression turned a bit serious as she went up to give the gentleman her tickets.

"Hey, Rasima, remember to have FUN!" Simon emphasized.

"Yes, Simon! I heard you the first time!" She called back as the man took the tickets from her hands and motioned for her to come inside. Rasima followed him in, seeing that the tent was very small on the inside. It was dark red like the outside of the tent, and lit only by a small blue orb-shaped light that was sitting on a small table off to the side.

In the center of the space was a larger table, glass with two simple, yet comfortable chairs for the two of them to sit in. Master Ki invited her to sit down before seating himself and shuffling his deck. Rasima could hear the people running about outside, as it was quiet inside the tent. She took her seat across from the man near the opening.

"Alright, I want you to pick five cards from the deck and arrange three of them together, with one card on one side of the three, and the remaining card on the other side."

Rasima arranged the cards as he instructed, and noticed a flicker coming from the light, and noticed the light was actually a concealed candle.

"Ah! I tend to be a bit old fashioned compared to some of the folks around here. I guess it's a part of me getting older. Good, now, from where you are sitting, I will explain what each of the cards will represent." He explained, first pointing to the card closest to him.

"This card here will tell me a little about your personality. The card below that on your left will be your past, the middle your present, and the right your future. The bottom card will tell you about your relationships, either present or future. I will start with your personality and relationships, and then move on to your actual fortune. Are you ready?"

Rasima nodded.

"Ready when you are."

Master Ki turned over the card closest to him.

"Gearfried The Iron Knight." He noted. Rasima recognized the card. It showed a picture of a knight in a suit of black armor with shining silver trim and red adornments. It was a level four warrior type monster with 1800 attack and 1600 defense, and it can't use equip spells.

"An interesting card. I haven't drawn this card for determining personality in quite a while. Do you know what Gearfried can become?"

Rasima shook her head no.

"I know you can use it to summon another monster known as Gearfried, but I don't remember the rest." Rasima admitted.

"Through the power of Release Restraint, Gearfried the Iron Knight can become Gearfried the Swordmaster, a powerful warrior of the light. With what I know about these cards, I can give you a more accurate reading of your personality," He explained.

"So… Like Gearfried, you a brave, courageous and compassionate person, ready to stand for justice. But, like his Iron Knight form, you are contained, capable of becoming something incredible under the right circumstances…maybe heroic, or even terrifying. However, nothing can influence him unless he is released from his armor," Master Ki inferred from what he knew of the card, "You are strong willed. Very much so. Some would say no one thing or person can ultimately make you do anything unless you wish it so. Like with your friend, outside, eh? You did give in, but only because you were curious as to what kind of fortune you would get, no? You are…indomitable. Incorruptible."

Rasima looked inquisitively at the card as he said this. She had expected something that would reflect her role as a doctor-to-be or something similar, perhaps in the form of a card such as Injection Fairy Lilly or Mystical Elf. But, she was indeed strong willed, and very much a champion of the underdog back home. Simon must have been right about his ability to read people. She wasn't sure of the rest, though. But, she continued to listen as he picked up the card closest to her.

"The card that represent your relationships is…"

He flipped over the card.

"Maiden in Love…upside down."

Rasima noticed the girl in the picture looking off longingly into the distance. She was a light attributed spellcaster, but she was a very weak monster with less than 500 attack and defense points. However, upon closer inspection, she saw it had the ability to be invulnerable to destruction by battle as long as it was in attack mode, and the monster that attacked it would receive a Maiden counter.

"A card being upside down reverses its meaning. Normally, this card would indicate you were in love…but as it is…upside down… it must mean you have had your heart broken, perhaps in the past or recently."

Rasima gave him a puzzled look.

"Actually, I'm not sure how accurate that is. I've never been in love with anyone. Or had my heart broken." She replied. She had a date or two back in high school, but they were one time things for events like Sadie Hawkins dances and Prom. And she didn't have time in college. As much as she fancied the idea, she just never actually had that happen to her before.

Just then, Master Ki smiled, but then it quickly faded.

"So it's for your future then. So, you haven't been in love or had your heart broken, but according to this card, you will very soon. However, Maiden in love's effect also tells another part of the story. Your love will be true… something that will last, and something that will be felt by those involved long after the scars have healed. And it is because of the type of person you are."

It sounded like the beginnings of a romance novel to her, her thoughts were layered in sarcasm. But, it actually sounded pretty good. Maybe not getting her heart broken, though. Still, what was the old saying about that?

"And now… for your actual fortune."

He turned over the card on the center left.

"Your past is represented by Mystical Elf."

Ah, so that's where the card comes in. It showed up after all, she thought.

"The Mystical Elf is an enduring creature and a skilled healer. You have led a very stable life, and have come to find yourself taking the role of healer to those around you. Or perhaps you have been surrounded by healing people?"

This made sense to her. But, Mystical Elf didn't have an effect, and any associated cards were either loosely connected or related to her healing abilities, which she guessed wouldn't add much information. But that was only a guess.

Master Ki then turned over the very center card, the one that was meant to represent her present. As he turned over the card, he paused, not saying a word. He examined the card carefully, as if wondering if he had made a mistake.

"Huge Revolution… It can only be activated when three specific monsters are present on the field."

Rasima was also surprised, since in this case the card he flipped over was a card that she herself had used in her deck before, though not very successfully. It was a difficult card to use since the monsters required to use it didn't really have much in common, so most themed decks can't bring them out fast, and the card itself could be easily negated or worked around. But, from the way Master Ki reacted, it must mean something big, right?

"A great change is coming, and you will be involved in it. However, what role you will play is uncertain. But, you will endure much strife in the process of this great change."

He seemed as if he was holding something back, but she didn't ask. It was entertainment anyway. Still a great change. That made sense too. She was in a strange city in a strange country, with only a couple of familiar faces to call upon. Big change was certainly likely, though maybe not as big as he seemed to be making it.

Finally, he flipped over the card on the center right.

"Yami…this is your future. But…this card is also upside down."

Rasima remembered the Field Spell from when she was a child, and that it had fallen out of fashion with the rise of better cards.

"A darkness is coming for you, and it will try to swallow you. Normally, this card would be a symbol of death…a terrible fortune to befall you."

"But it's upside down?" Rasima repeated what he had mentioned earlier.

"Yes, but it confuses me," He says, "Normally this card does not appear upside down, so its meaning is not entirely certain…but…what it might mean… is not a message of death, not an end. But rather… a beginning."


	3. 3rd Entry: Tide of Darkness

3rd Entry: Tide of Darkness

Rasima had a pleasant rest of the day with Simon and Kane. For a while, she did in fact let herself enjoy the rides, the food, and the free stuff she got to haul back to the apartment once they returned in the dark of night. Summer seemed to be off to a good start, and she was getting to know more about Neo Domino City.

But the fortune Master Ki had given her kept creeping into her thoughts every now and again. Especially when he foretold that darkness was coming to swallow her. Granted, it was only a fortune, but she still mused at what it could mean. He said it was some kind of beginning. Was it something unknown or unfamiliar? Would it be something dangerous?

As the three of them were heading out of the park, she suddenly saw a guard hit a person out of the corner of her eye.

"We don't need scum like you scaring away good paying customers! Now get out before I arrest you and send your sorry behind to the Facility!"

Rasima turned her head and saw the guard staring the person down. He was wearing a similar uniform as the others, so he didn't stand out much. But the person he was tormenting on the other hand, had a feature that stood out to her. The young man, who was probably younger than her, had a yellow streak on his right cheek with a golden triangle on either side.

He seemed like a fairly somber individual, with messy brown hair, dark eyes, and raggedy black clothes. He looked afraid of the guard, and Rasima was shocked when the guard hit him again.

"Garbage like you should belong in the Satellite!"

Rasima started approaching him, when Simon noticed her.

"Rasima, you don't want to get yourself in trouble here."

"Objection noted, Simon," She replied, ignoring him and continuing to walk up to the guard in an indignant fashion. The young man saw her and averted his gaze. The guard gave him one final slap before letting out a guffaw and walking away.

"Excuse me, Officer?" She called very loudly in his direction with an undercurrent of disgust.

"Yes, Ma'am? You need some help?" He replied in a very gruff voice. She pointed to the young man, who at that point was starting to sneak away. As quickly as he could.

"I saw this man just waiting here outside the gate. Did he do something wrong?"

The guard appeared as if he wanted to spit on the young man.

"You don't need to concern yourself. He's just your average scum, and besides, he's not allowed on the property."

"Why not?" Rasima asked with concern.

The guard gave her a puzzled look, but then shook his head.

"You must be new to the city. Did you see the marks on his face? Anyone who's ever been to the Facility has one- he's a criminal."

"But he wasn't doing anything. Why didn't you just ask him to leave first before deciding to smack him one?" She retorted, "It looked as if you were being a little harsh."

The guard huffed, giving her an incensed scowl.

"I suggest you leave it alone. Or do you want me to charge you with interfering with Security ?"

"Rasima! We need to go." Simon was right behind her, tugging on her arm. As much as she wanted too, as much she had the desire to give the officer a piece of her mind, she knew better. Even if they were acting unworthy of their position, she couldn't afford to get in trouble with the law here. She was in a strange country, in a strange city.

She turned to walk with Simon back to his car. The guard smiled with smug satisfaction before returning to his patrol. However, she could see the young man walking down the row of cars. She broke away from Simon for a moment, navigating her way across the parking lot.

"I'll be a minute, Simon, I promise!"

Simon shook his head. Rasima found the young man and got his attention by waving to him.

"Hey, dude, are you ok?"

He seemed surprised that she was talking to him.

"M-me?"

"Yeah, that guard nailed you pretty hard. He didn't bruise you or anything, did he?"

The young man laughed.

"Haha! It throbs a little, but I can get over it."

He turned his head for a moment.

"Nobody outside the Daimon area even speaks to me! …I don't think I've ever seen you before."

"Yeah, I'm Rasima. I'm visiting here from America."

"Oh, that explains it then," He chuckled, "You're a foreigner, so you haven't been conditioned like the city-crowd not to talk to people like me…people with the brands."

Rasima thought for a second, when a sudden she suddenly felt the urge to ask him something.

"Are you from the Satellite?"

The young man blinked and shook his head rapidly.

"N-no! I've never been to that horrible place. But, I've been to the Facility, so I've met people who have." He told her.

"Rasima, Let's go, already!" Simon followed her and was waiting impatiently.

"Well, I guess I'd better go. What's your name?" She inquired before leaving.

"Aoi. Onishi Aoi." He replied, somewhat perplexed by the whole situation, "If you're ever in the Daimon area, you should come find me. I work by the docks just outside."

Rasima smiled. She would remember that.

Simon was gratified that he was finally able to pull her away, and with that, the party went home, and Rasima called it an early night. However, she lay awake that night, wondering about her fortune and the man she ran into.

Her sleep was dreamless, but as she drifted off, he mind was still pawing at these things like a cat pawing at a ball of yarn.

…..

There was darkness beneath the surface of the earth. Only the clicking of footsteps and the scamper of rodents filled the empty halls, and the scent of dust and rot drifted like a lost spirit. In one large, dimly lit room, three men in black hooded cloaks were seated at a large table, gathered around a candelabrum with three candles aflame. Their blackened eyes seemed frosted in the light of the fire.

"The time for our ascendance is drawing ever near. The Earthbound Gods can sense the Crimson Dragon starting to extend its hand to those it has chosen, and they are writhing in the darkness awaiting their moment to strike."

The man who spoke was the oldest of the three, his long greying hair just barely visible under his hood. His attire was scarlet-tinged, and his skin was a deep tan like the soil of the earth, with red markings across his cheeks. He cupped a Spider in his hand as he focused his attention on his two companions.

"Have any of the Signers awakened yet, Rudger?" The second oldest of the three asked him. The second had tan skin and similar markings to the elder, but his cloak had a yellow trim. His face, however, was much more concealed under his hood.

"There have been signs. Pulses of energy have been felts by the Earthbound Gods, especially in Neo Domino City. A couple of them are on the verge on awakening, but none have fully realized as Signers or seem to be aware of their purpose."

The third of them sat at the farthest end of the table, not saying a word. He was by far the youngest of the three, perhaps eighteen or nineteen years old. He was very pale-skinned, with messy hair showing that was the faintest touch of blue, almost white. His garment was sky blue in trim, but revealed a bright red shirt underneath that exposed his mid-section. He also wore what appeared to be a chain of dangling fangs.

"That is all? Perhaps this would be an opportune time to increase our numbers." The second suggested flatly. The oldest, Rudger, shook his head.

"We need to wait. Unless the Earthbound Gods see it fit, we must stick to what destiny has intended for us, Demak." Rudger countered.

"But how long must we wait? I grow impatient for things to be set in motion." The youngest finally spoke, with a hint of a predatory snarl in his voice.

"Have patience, Kiryu," Rudger replied placidly, "You will not have to wait as long as you may think. Your need for vengeance will be sated."

The youngest smirked, longing for the satisfaction of seeing his enemies fall before him.

"That is all for now. You may do as you wish until something has changed."

The younger two rose from the table and departed. The youngest walked along down the hallways, thinking to himself, imagining the look of sheer horror of those who had wrong him when he would bring them their end.

"Yusei… You will not get away with your betrayal of me. I will be satisfied when I see your death at my hands…"

He couldn't contain a sudden burst of laughter. But then, he returned to his usual quiet, wandering the dark underground, awaiting his time to arise.

…..

Rasima awoke from her sleep suddenly, pulling her alarm clock up to her face. The bright green face read 6:30 A.M. She rubbed her head, wondering why she had woken up so early. She buried her face in her pillow, trying her best to fall asleep again. But, sleep did not come to her, no matter what position she took or how far she pulled the blankets over herself.

She could hear Simon and Kane saying their goodbyes. She remembered that Kane's job required her to be there by 7 A.M. She felt awful for her. She remembered her last job required such an early start, and no matter how good the pay was, she didn't want to do that again. The young woman lay away on her side, staring at the door of the closet in her room.

After a while, she got out of bed, deciding that if she couldn't sleep, she might as well start her day a little early. She dressed into a pair of black shorts and vest, with an orange t-shirt underneath.

Simon was sitting at the table in the Kitchen, wearing a blue suit and tie and working his way down a bowl or cereal. He noticed Rasima walk into the room and help herself to a bowl.

"Hmmm…what are you doing up so early?"

"I couldn't sleep." She admitted. He nodded and swigged down the last bit of milk that was in his bowl before setting it by the metal sink.

"Well, Kane and I have to work for the rest of the week, so you might be on your own for a while in the next few days. Just don't burn the building down and remember to lock up if you're going out."

Rasima smiled at Simon's sarcasm.

"I'll be careful."

He was out the door shortly, leaving Rasima alone in the apartment. She looked around the kitchen to see it had the same scheme as every other room in the apartment. However, it had a very nice countertop, a wooden table with four matching chairs, a steel fridge, and wooden cabinets that lined the walls. The woman wolfed down her breakfast before going to fetch her laptop to read the news.

When she put down her computer and turned it on, she remembered what the young man had told her yesterday about the docks and the Daimon area. Maybe she should go check up on him to make sure he was doing ok?

She booted up the internet and looked at current events happening in America, and even in Neo Domino City. But most of it was either politicians bickering with each other or sports she didn't care for. There was an article about the duel she watched the day before yesterday where Jack Atlas had defeated a challenger from Lithuania, but otherwise, it seemed all the same to her. There wasn't even a decent scientific article or update to hold her attention.

However, she opened up her email to find a message from FedEx NDC in her inbox.

"What's this?"

Below the message was an email from her parents.

"Hey, Sweetheart," It read, "We thought it might help you enjoy your vacation more if you had your own mode of transportation to get you around. So, we had your D-Wheel shipped about a week ago so you could have it shortly after you got to Neo Domino. We know dueling isn't really big for you and because of that you pretty much never used it, we thought if nothing else it could get you where you needed to go. We love you! – Mom and Dad."

She looked back up at the FedEx email, which stated that as per the order's instructions, the vehicle was delivered and placed in the guest section of the Underground Lot.

"Dad can be so bloody picky when it comes to this sort of thing, he could have just asked them to leave it at the warehouse and have me come pick it up…"

She grabbed a spare key, and grabbed a few key things before putting her shoes on and locking the door behind her. Rasima sighed and made her way to the elevator, where she pressed the button to take her to the Lot.

The Lot was not much different than any other parking lot she had seen before, except for it being dimly lit. An attendant in a white suit was waiting at a small white booth and she went up to him, holding out her Driver's License.

"I'm here to pick up my D-Wheel that was delivered here early this morning." She told him. The attendant took her card and scanned it.

"Rasima Kent… yes, there was also a package that came with it that was left here."

He handed a small brown box to her before asking her to follow him. She quickly opened it to see that the helmet and key card for the vehicle were inside. She threw the keys into her vest pocket, and carried the helmet in her hands as she followed the attendant. The helmet was silver with a blue visor and angelic wings engraved on either side.

They went down a few levels before they came upon the guest section, where the attendant led her to a silver D-Wheel that was parked smack in the middle of the level.

"How much for the parking?" She asked. He told her and she gave him her debit card, which he swiped using a portable device. He handed her the card back before returning to his post.

The silver D-wheel was indeed hers, fashioned to look like an older twentieth century model of motorcycle, with angels and black lightening painted on either side of the frame. She put on her helmet and inserted the key card, which caused the vehicle to start.

"Riding Mode Engaged."

She could see a navy duel disk with silver streaks inserted into the central hub, and a monitor indicated her speed in kilometers and RPM. Rasima revved up the engine and back out slowly before turning around and making her way to the City Street exit.

"Well, I guess it doesn't hurt to have a way to get somewhere without having to take the bus or something… still… I wish they'd have told me before I left they were sending it."

She made it out onto the street, which was still quiet since the main rush of the morning commute hadn't started yet.

"Well, can't do anything about it now, I guess."

At that she pulled up her GPS and found the docks by the Daimon area that Aoi had mentioned.

"I hope he's doing ok after what happened yesterday. That wasn't right at all."


	4. 4th Entry: The Divide of Neo Domino

4th Entry: The Divide of Neo Domino

The Daimon Area had a stark image contrast from the rest of Neo Domino City. The buildings were old and decaying, metal was rusting over and many rodents and feral animals hid in alleyways. Some people leaned against the walls and were sleeping by toppled garbage cans. Rasima could hear whispers and the yowling of alley cats as she rode in, the smell of discarded and rotting items circling in the air. She felt a sudden urge to hold her breath, but pushed herself to endure the unpleasant aromas as her D-Wheel zipped by the Duel Arena, around which the whole district was centered.

The docks were not that far away. The smell of fish replaced the smell of garbage, making it easier to breathe. However, she started coughing violently and was forced to stop. She felt her airway and constricting and reached for an inhaler she put in the pocket of her shorts.

Rasima held it to her mouth and pushed the trigger, breathing in the medicine. She felt her throat begin to ease up and she could breathe, though it was somewhat labored and slowly recovered.

"Damn asthma…" She cursed.

She rested for a few minutes until her breathing was closer to normal.

"Something there must have triggered my symptoms; I need to be more careful, dang it."

She rode a little further in until she saw a few people working at the docks. She dismounted, but kept her D-Wheel close to her. There was no telling what to expect in this part of town, from what she had heard and read in the past couple of days.

The group of people was led by a burly man with a large brown beard in a pair of overalls and a dusty brown shirt. He tipped his work hat up as Rasima guided her D-Wheel in his direction.

"Sorry, miss. Not looking for new workers. And besides, you'd be too small to carry the loads these boys are hauling."

"I'm not looking for work, sir, I'm here to see someone. If you know him?"

The man took a second look at her, realizing from her appearance she was probably not from the area.

"Why? Who are you looking for? I run a legitimate business here, see!"

"Aoi…Onishi Aoi. He got hurt the other day and I wanted to check on his injuries. I'm his doctor you see." She told him, which was only partially true. She did indeed want to see him and check on his wounds, but she was not yet a licensed doctor, she was not anyone's doctor.

"Hmmm…" He looked her over with an edge of suspicion.

"You don't look like any doctor I've ever seen."

"Oh! Doctor Rasima! It's good to see you!" She heard Aoi's voice from behind a crate. He was carrying a large barrel in his hands and wore the same uniform as the burly man.

"You know this chick, Onishi? Is she really your doctor?"

"Oh! Yeah! I started to go see her not to long ago." Aoi replied nonchalantly. Rasima was surprised how easily he could lie without even flinching.

"Hmmm… must be the free clinic type…none of us folks down here can afford anything else. Especially not YOU, Onishi."

He still wasn't entirely convinced of the story, but he sighed and gestured that he could go.

"You've got ten minutes, but I want to see you back here as soon as possible, got it?" He growled at Aoi. He nodded respectfully before leading Rasima to a more open area away from the other workers where they could sit and talk.

Rasima leaned against her D-Wheel as Aoi sat down on a wooden crate behind a warehouse.

"I honestly didn't think you would come see me. Thank you." He told her. Rasima pulled out one of the things she had brought with her from her vest pocket, which was a pack of large sterilized bandages.

"I meant what I said; I wanted to see how you were doing."

Aoi looked at the pack of bandages.

"So, are you really a doctor?" He smiled sneakily.

"Well, not yet. I'm still a pre-med student." She confessed. Aoi laughed.

"I guess that's close enough. I tried covering up the bruise myself, but it's hard to get even basic things around here."

Rasima put bandages over where the officer had hit him, which were his left cheek and on his upper chest. It stung at first from the disinfectant and he winced in pain.

"So, what were you doing at Kaibaland yesterday?"

"Actually, I was supposed to meet someone there. We weren't going to be staying for very long, but the guard caught me standing around."

"A friend?"

"Not exactly." He replied dryly, pulling his shirt back into his overalls.

"Oh, sorry, I don't mean to pry." Rasima responded, putting away the package.

"It's ok. Say, can I ask you something?" He inquired. Rasima turned her gaze to him.

"Sure." She nodded affirmatively.

"Why are you so interested in me? You're not from the Satellite or the Daimon area, hell, you look like you're not even from the country, no offense."

"None taken. I don't like it when people abuse their authority like how that guard did; you look like he did a number on you. And you told me where you were so I thought I'd come see you."

"Well, sadly, that's what your average member of Sector Security is like. They treat people like me worse than dirt and kiss ass for the people in the Tops. Especially the director of Public Security Maintenance Bureau."

"You mean they're all corrupt? They can just walk up to people with brands on their face and harass them?"

Aoi touched his mark when she said this.

"Well, nobody seems to act like they care what they do to us. And between you and me, I think the director hires people like that on purpose."

"What?"

"He looks for people who are willing to do whatever is necessary to keep 'undesirables' out of the city- the people of the Satellite, and people like me, criminals and underdogs, away from the rest of the general public."

"You ever saw this guy?"

"When I was in the Facility, he showed up a couple of times and gave speeches in front of everyone in the prison. His name is Rex Goodwin, and he seems to me to be nothing more than a pompous, classist bureaucratic fat-cat."

"If he does hire people like that guard on purpose, he does sound like a nasty piece of work," Rasima said, "And everybody in the city thinks its ok?"

"Well, anyone who speaks out is usually shut down by Goodwin somehow."

He thought for a moment.

"It feels kind of strange, talking to you about all of this. Nobody has ever cared. Not anyone who wasn't in the same situation, anyway."

Rasima smiled.

"Well, I think anyone deserves respect and compassion. This world is already pretty sucky as it is, we don't need to make it worse by treating each other badly."

"Haha, very true." Aoi mused. He looked at his beat up watch to see he had only a couple of minutes before he should return to work.

"Ah, nut, I better go. Well, it was good to see you again."

Rasima let him go.

"Can I visit you tomorrow?"

Aoi blinked.

"Sure, but wait until I get off my shift at 7 P.M. We'll have more time to talk and we don't have to make up excuses to my boss. I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"You got it." Rasima assured him. He made his way back to his work.

"Hey!" He called back, "Maybe we should duel sometime."

Rasima thought he was probably referring to her D-Wheel.

"Ok! But just do you know I totally suck at it!"

Aoi just laughed and told her he would see her tomorrow. Rasima found herself laughing too. She was really glad he was ok. And it made her happy that perhaps she had made a new acquaintance in the city, perhaps one that could tell her about the scars that were hidden behind the shining exterior.

It was still pretty early in the morning, so there was an entire day ahead of her practically. She started up her D-Wheel and rode back into the main part of the city. This time, she held her breath as long as she could as to try and avoid another possible onset of her asthma.

She went down the highway, not sure where to go next, but he she had the entire day to herself, and all the time she needed to figure it out.

…..

Back in the Satellite, Rudger sat in his own room alone, meditating on the events he predicted were to occur in the coming months. He was pondering Demak's question about increasing their numbers, perhaps to bolster their effectiveness against their enemies. The silence and the darkness gave him clarity in which he could think more deeply on the matter.

"In order for a Dark Signer to be born, the Earthbound Gods must seek a soul from the dead of dying with a desire for vengeance or a strong will to live. The best candidates are those with whom we share a common enemy…the Signers, the chosen of the Crimson Dragon."

He thought carefully about how those who became Dark Signers were chosen.

"But, sometimes an indirect connection or even just a strong resilience may be enough if the Earthbound Gods see such a person as useful. A strong desire to cling to life and fulfill what is yet to be done."

A spider darted across his fingers.

"Perhaps for now we can simply put our ear to the ground, and if the Earthbound Gods decide to choose another to join the shadows, we shall welcome them into the fold, another soldier for the army of Darkness."

Outside, the youngest of these 'Dark Signers', Kiryu, was pacing the halls, wandering in an almost aimless manner, lost in his own world and feelings of vengeance. He came upon an exit that led to the outside, where the sky was starting to cloud over.

Just as he went outside, he started to feel a small moan within his gut.

"Damn it." He muttered.

Dark Signers were practically Immortal. They could endure gunshots, stabs, and possessed a great amount of strength, dexterousness, and agility. But, there were drawbacks. They still felt mortal agonies, such as hunger, pain, and exhaustion. He had improved in his physical health since his rebirth, being giving the gifts of the Earthbound Gods, but in the dark, they still had needs of the mortal bodies that they had reclaimed in their rise from death.

He pulled his hood further over his face, and sought out his D-Wheel. It appeared just outside the crater that led down into the abyss that was the home of the Dark Signers.

It was of a sleek design, with a midnight blue frame and orange, archaic symbols painted onto it, and a large metal wing jutting out from one side. He slid onto his D-Wheel and fired up the engine, smirking to himself before riding off into the depths of the Satellite, beginning his periodic scavenge to sustain himself to satisfy the cravings that his body demanded of him.

For just a moment, his mind put aside its near-obsession with the wrongs that had been dealt him in life. He did not feel anger or rage in his mind. Just a focused desire to have his hunger sated so he could return to the larger dissatisfaction that hung over him, the thing that haunted his thoughts and dreams.

In the meantime, Rudger himself was beginning to feel the pain of hunger. However, unlike his younger companion, he had learned to ignore his body's desires for very long periods of time. His focus was on the awakening and downfall of what stood in the way of the world being enveloped in the Darkness of the Underworld, the place where the king of the Earthbound Gods resided. He knew this king awaited the triumph of his followers, and his release.

"Soon," He whispered, "Soon you shall return, and all of this world shall be yours."

…..

Author's note:

The exact abilities and state of being a Dark Signer are heavily debated, especially since the canon, Yu-gi-oh! 5D's, is unclear about this. This is simply the one interpretation, so that certain future events in the story will makes sense and be consistent.


	5. 5th Entry: Carly and Team Satisfaction

5th Entry: Carly and Team Satisfaction

Rasima spent the next few days reading the news and exploring the various parts of New Domino City, from the Daimon Area to the shopping district to the Tops. Kane and Simon had work, so she was pretty much left to her own devices. In the evening, she would go visit Aoi after his shift was done and they would talk about the city and how life was very different from what she had experienced in America. And yet, there were occasionally things that were eerily similar as well. She had also started wearing a jacket whenever she got on her D-Wheel, as to make sure she didn't leave skin on the pavement in case of an accident.

It was now Saturday and Kane and Simon's last work day. They were planning to take Rasima to the beach the next day, though Rasima wasn't sure if she was looking forward to it. She didn't mind swimming, she quite enjoyed it. However, she felt very exposed wearing a swimsuit.

As usual, she explored the City, this time finding herself traveling to a quieter, upper middle class neighborhood a mile or two from the Tops. It was around noon, with the summer sun high in the sky, beating down on the earth below. Rasima was waiting at a stop sign, when the smell of baking cinnamon rolls caught her attention. She looked up the road to see an out of the way café on the corner of the street.

When the light turned green, Rasima searched around until she could find a parking space. After searching, she dismounted and strolled over. It was a charming, small café with a white and green color scheme, with small tables and chair just outside. With the nice weather out, it seemed ideal to sit outside.

When she sat down, she noticed she could hear the voice of a woman sighing. Rasima turned to see someone about her age walking up the street. The woman, who appeared to be close to Rasima's age, had long volumes of black hair, and wore large glasses over her dark eyes. She was dressed in a blue and white striped shirt, a bright orange vest, and a pair of three-quarter length jeans, along with a pair of worn tennis shoes.

She cradled a camera in her arms as she looked up to see the café. She put a hand to her stomach at the smell of the cinnamon rolls baking inside.

"Oh, man, I haven't even eaten breakfast yet today."

She sat a few tables away from Rasima. The two of them looked up at the menus and appeared to grow pale in the face when they looked at the prices.

"Hmmm…a little pricey, much? Even for just a treat." Rasima thought to herself, but she shrugged it off, "I guess if I don't pig out I should be ok, though. There's always food back at Simon's. "

"Oh, dear, I can't afford this! And I'll be able to afford even less if I don't finish this article soon, or my boss will have my head…"

Rasima had overheard the woman at the table and wondered what could be the matter. It probably wasn't her business, but it sounded like this woman was having a rough day. A couple minutes went by before a server came out, the bell by the door ringing a cheerful sound. He was a tall, pleasant looking man with short black hair and wearing a black outfit with a white server approached the other woman first, who asked for water hesitantly while she 'decided' what she wanted.

Then, Rasima was approached. She gave the server her menu. She glanced over at the other woman, who seemed to be worrying to bits, and an interesting idea occurred to her.

"I'll have an order of the Cinnamon rolls and a cup of seafood soup. And… could you also get an order of those things for the lady over there, on me?"

The server looked at the woman and then looked back at Rasima. He took the menus and agreed to do as she asked. She waited a few minutes before the server came out again with waters, telling the both of them would be back in a minute. A couple of minutes went by before he came out with two plates, each with three small, warm cinnamon rolls. He first gave Rasima her plate and the set the other in front of the woman.

"Oh, sir! I didn't order this." She told him. But the man replied the woman across from her had had ordered it for her. She looked over at Rasima, somewhat mixed between pleasant surprise and alarm.

The server left and was gone for another few minutes.

"Hey, with you fretting yourself like that, I had to do something to cheer you up."

The woman let out a chuckle.

"Well, thank you."

Rasima bit into one the rolls. It was hot, crispy, and flavorful. As she chewed on her treat thoughtfully, the woman walked over next to her with her plate in hand.

"Hey…I was wondering…"

Rasima held out her hand as a friendly gesture.

"You can sit here if you want. It'll make the server's job easier bringing the food to one table."

The woman sat down next to her.

"Thank you…say, do you always do this sort of thing for people?"

Rasima laughed.

"Well, not for everybody," Rasima replied jokingly, "Just for friends and people down on their luck. And you looked like you needed it."

There was a small silence for a moment. The server came out with the cups of soup and gave one to each of the women before going back inside.

"You even got soup…"

"If you have a lot of work to do, you need to have something in your belly, don't you?"

"I suppose…" The woman picked up a spoon and started stirring her soup.

"My name is Rasima, by the way. Kent, Rasima." She told the woman, remembering that she was supposed to put her surname first in Japanese.

"Nagisa Carly," The woman responded, "…Nice to meet you, Rasima."

Rasima saw her Camera.

"So, what is your job? Do you work for a journal or something?"

"A newspaper," Carly said, "Though I'm not exactly a full-fledged reporter yet. But, that's what I consider myself."

"A reporter, eh?" Rasima asked, "Do you know a lot about the city and the people, then?"

"I know quite a bit, yes." Carly was appearing to perk up a bit as she took a sip of her soup.

"It's just… I'm visiting here from America and I'm still getting used to how things work around here. I've been trying to learn everything I can."

"Oh, so you're a tourist then?" Carly asked.

"Kind of," Rasima said, "I'm mostly here visiting a friend who works in the city."

"Oh, I see."

"So, do you know anything about Rex Goodwin?" Rasima wondered. Carly thought to herself.

"Oh, that's a tough one. There's hardly anything known. He's the director for the Public Security Maintenance Bureau…and he sponsors Jack Atlas so he can continue his Riding Duels."

"You need a sponsor to duel here?" Rasima asked.

"Oh, America must be different. Most professional duelists get their paycheck by getting companies and people to sponsor them. You can still duel anyways, of course, but that's how anyone's able to make a living off of the game."

"Ah, so they're like a patron?"

"Yeah, that sounds about right." Carly thought aloud.

"Does Goodwin sponsor any other duelists?"

"No, just Jack. He's Goodwin's sole champion, and he made it all the way to being the King of Riding Duels. The story is he lived in the Tops before his rise to fame."

"…And is that true?" Rasima wondered, "You said that is was 'the story.'"

"As far as most people know. But, he kind of came out of nowhere, so some people are wondering if that's where he actually was before Goodwin picked him up."

"Hmmm…" Rasima thought, "So Carly, do you have any idea of what Goodwin is like? As a person, I mean? Not as a director."

"Not really, I've never met the guy." Carly said, "You seem really interested in him."

"Well, people tell me he's basically in charge of the city. I like to get to know about the Government, you know?"

"I guess if you're going to be here for a while, that makes sense. People must really care about who's in charge in America, if they're anything like you."

"Well, actually, most people are too busy to care," Rasima laughed, "A lot of people don't even come to the polls."

Carly and Rasima talked back and forth for about an hour or so, until the server returned with Rasima's bill. When Rasima looked at the price, she winced a bit.

"Are you ok?" Carly asked. Rasima nodded, trying to hide her disgust with the outrageous sum she owed for just a couple of soups and desert.

"It's fine." She assured Carly. She gave the server her debit card.

"Are you sure it's fine?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Don't worry about it too much, Carly."

The server swiped her card and gave it back, telling her to have a good day. Carly looked at her watch and seemed like she would start freaking out.

"Oh, dear, I'm really sorry! But I really need to get back to work, pronto!" She told Rasima.

"That's fine," Rasima laughed, "It was very nice to meet you Carly."

"Same for you," Carly replied, "Well, maybe I'll see you around?"

"Sure," Rasima smiled, "If you see me riding around on my D-Wheel, give me a holler!"

"Right. Well, see you later, Rasima!"

After Carly left, Rasima decided it was probably time for her to get going as well. She zipped up her jacket, put her helmet, and sped away in her D-Wheel. It was to think she had met another new person, she thought. Not just random hellos, but perhaps someone else she'd get to know perhaps be a friend to, like Aoi.

She went to visit him later in the evening that day, when he was due to get off his shift. He was waiting for her at the edge of the docks, with his dueling deck tucked away in his pocket. She had finally broken down and dueled him the other day, only to have her butt royally kicked. So, he had offered to help her reconstruct her deck, and perhaps help her improve her skills.

"Are you ready to learn how to survive in this city, Rasima?"He chuckled.

"I've been doing alright."

"You won't be for long if you don't make a proper deck for yourself!"

She hopped of her D-Wheel and guided it alongside her as she followed Aoi back to his small apartment.

"It's good to see you, by the way." She commented.

"Same here. Just set the D-Wheel in here, ok?" He helped bring it inside so nobody would try to make off with it.

His apartment was a cramped, one room area, with grey walls that were peeling. The floorboards creaked under their feet as the two of them sat on the dusty couch. Rasima pulled out her laptop case and turned on her computer.

"I brought my card database with me. It's easier than carrying all my cards over here, and I can look at every one I have."

"What? You want to skip the fun of having a mess of cards everywhere? For shame, Rasima! For shame!" He jokingly scolded her. As she pulled up her program, a thought occurred to her.

"Aoi? Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"You mentioned before you met people in the Facility who were from the Satellite. Did they ever talk about it much?"

Aoi paused for a moment, feeling as though the question was rather abrupt and removed from what they were doing.

"I heard a lot of stories when I was first sent there for trespassing on some government fat-cats private property…yeah right…anyway… They say it's really awful over there. All the buildings are rotting and falling down. People scramble for even a scrap of food and are forced to work very hard so the people in the city get to live like kings."

"People treated worse by Security over there?"

"Much worse, I hear, and I saw some of it in the Facility, too. People from the Satellite get pushed around even more than people like me." He said hesitantly, remembering some of the people he met back in the Facility.

"In fact…I met this one guy from the Satellite… I don't remember his name. But I remember the guards particularly liked to pick on him. They'd knock him down when he was carrying something heavy and beat the crap out of him."

"That's terrible! They shouldn't be able to do that!"

"Well, in the Facility, they can do whatever the hell they want," He replied angrily, "Anyway, I do remember that he was originally a member of a Duel Gang, and he was sent there because he had attacked security and killed an officer."

"Duel Gang?"

"A couple of years ago, the Satellite was overrun with these groups called Duel Gangs. They used cards as well as the usual gang repertoire to intimidate people. There was one fabled group that fought and defeated all the other gangs though, but they disappeared when their leader was captured."

Rasima felt an uneasy sensation in the pit of her gut.

"And this guy was a member of one of those duel gang?"

"Yeah, some say he was in fact the captured leader of the gang that conquered the rest. I think the name of the gang was… Team Satisfaction."

Rasima blinked, a little surprised.

"Team Satisfaction?"

"They say they took the name because they were trying to find fulfillment or satisfaction in their lives, so they wanted to conquer all of Satellite to give their existence meaning."

"Huh…" Rasima thought aloud.

"Anyway, he endured the insults and the beatings. He became emaciated and sick. But, day after day, he continued to put up with it… He was very stubborn. But… then Security found he still had his dueling deck and confiscated it. That's when things went downhill."

"His deck was very important to him?" She asked.

"Back in the Satellite, sometimes your deck is all that you have besides the clothes on your back. Some have said they think of it as their soul. Anyway, he started giving in, and within a few weeks, he died of starvation. Or that's what we were told her died of."

Rasima felt herself shaking.

"I'm so sorry… it's just…it's more awful that anything I could have imagined."

She turned her head up.

"Maybe he deserved to be in prison for killing an officer, for attacking security. I have no qualms with that. But… The way they treated him. That's injustice, those people are just as much criminals as anyone they put in the Facility, it seems."

"Perhaps even more so, in my opinion," Aoi hissed. He remembered himself and regained his composure.

"But, that's pretty much the extent of what I know about the Satellite from what I've seen and heard." He finished explaining.

"Now, let's see if we can get that better deck put together."

…..

Author's Note:

**Ummm…just another friendly reminder from the author that reviews, favorites, and subscriptions are very much encouraged. That is all.**


	6. 6th Entry: Dark Signer's Birth, Part 1

6th Entry: Dark Signer's Birth, Part 1

Another two weeks went by. Rasima had managed to put together a new deck with Aoi's help, and had been testing and improving it every day. Rasima also started to test the deck on her own, using a downloaded Duel Simulator for her laptop. Periodically, Kane and Simon would have the day off and take her places, allowing Rasima to explore more popular places in Neo Domino.

Rasima even managed to run into Carly a couple more times, getting to know more about the major players in the city when they met. The last time, Carly even gave her cell phone number to her, and the two were planning to meet again in the coming afternoon for a soda.

The young woman rose from her bed, dressing into a light grey t-shirt and light denim pants, and then quickly grabbed her things and her brown leather jacket. She locked up the apartment before she left as usual before picking up her D-Wheel in the Lot and heading out. Today there were a few clouds gathering in the sky, possibly a foretelling of rain to come later in the evening. Things seemed quieter in the city, since it was still early on in the week.

Rasima made her way to the restaurant where she was to meet Carly. It was styled like an American Diner, with bright pink neon and shiny marble countertops. As she walked inside, she could smell the grease of French fries.

"Hey, Rasima!" Carly waved to her, already seated at a booth. Rasima quickly joined her across the table. She pulled off her jacket and set it next to her, folding her hands in front of her.

"Doing any better since I last saw you, Carly?"

"A little," Carly stared into her water, "It's still difficult to keep up with everyone else at work, but I'm getting by ok."

"Well, just keep doing your best. That's all you can do." Rasima chuckled, "You seem more upbeat than the last couple of times I saw you."

"Yeah. I was really scared of losing my job there for a while. I wasn't bringing in any stories my boss liked and he was threatening to fire me." Carly sighed. She took a sip of her water before a waitress in a pink dress came up to them to take their order. When they were done and the waitress left to get them their food, Carly smiled and adjusted her glasses.

"But, like I said, things are better, at least for now. I found a story that he found interesting and so far that's kept me in good graces."

"But you'll have to find another one soon, I bet. You mentioned a deadline last time."

"Yeah. I wanted to interview some potential candidates for dueling who are considering challenging Jack Atlas in the coming months. But it's easier said than done, most of the more prominent reporters get to them first."

"Well, I guess that makes sense. Is there anybody that tends to get overlooked?"

"Most don't. There are a couple that have been more quiet about it, but I haven't been able to get a hold of their contact information yet. I'm still looking."

"And their contact information isn't made public, I'm assuming to keep people from harassing the crap out of them."

The waitress brought Rasima water and told them their order would be there shortly.

"Being a reporter at the bottom of the barrel isn't easy. But, you're right. I need to do my best. That's what will matter at the end of the day… I hope."

"It will," Rasima assured her, "I think you can do it. You're not jaded like lot of people in journalism. You seem to care about the truth and bringing out the good in people more than what makes you look good with the big shots. And if you can get people's attention, hey, I think you've got it made."

"You seem really confident of that."

"Well, I know moping about things doesn't do squat. Sometimes you just have to buckle down and keep going, even when things seem hard. Haha…"

She turned her head to look out at the city streets.

"Funny I don't follow my own advice as often as I should, though. There are days I just want to throw up my hands."

Carly giggled. The waitress brought them their food at that point and Rasima thanked her.

"You know, I think you want to bring out the best in other people, too, you've been very encouraging since the day you bought me lunch."

"You think so, huh? Well, I guess that's what I'm aiming for. Somebody's got to be in a person's corner." Rasima took a bite of food, feeling a little lonesome for home.

"They don't make the burgers here like they do back in America. Not where I live, anyway."

"You miss America, Rasima? You haven't really talked about that sort of thing."

"A little. There's a lot more open space and fewer people in the Midwest. A lot of small town charm too. There's dueling, of course, but it's much bigger on the coasts. And it's nowhere near as a part of people's lives as it is here."

Carly noticed cards sticking out of Rasima's pocket.

"Is that your deck, Rasima?"

"Kind of. A new friend I made in the city is helping me work on it. I dueled him a couple of weeks back and I blew it big time. My revolution deck was just a random assortment that just wasn't tightly knit together enough. So, we've been looking at stuff I was interested in and we've sort of transformed my deck into a Burn Deck."

"Doing lots of damage as fast as you can, huh? It can be pretty effective if you have the right defenses to protect your card effects from getting negated by counters."

"Yeah, and that's part of what we've been doing to improve it. We've been trying to find the right defenses that work into the overall theme of the deck." Rasima shook her head, "I've never spent so much time on dueling before. But I'm starting to learn how important dueling is in this city, and that it might be for my own good to try and get better."

"Have you done any riding duels at all? You have a D-Wheel." Carly pointed out.

"I've been getting pretty good at handling my D-Wheel, but I haven't been in any riding duels yet. I'm still kind of miffed you can't use regular Spells and you have to wait forever to use your good Speed Spells. But, Aoi said he might introduce me to someone in a couple of days who can show me the ropes."

"Well that's good. Between you and me, I'm not a really good duelist either. So, I think I understand. I wish I had the time to improve my deck."

Carly pulled her own deck out of her pocket.

"It's a Fortune Fairy Deck. They're really weak by themselves, but spells can give them give a load of attack power."

"Well, maybe someday you'll get some time and we could work on yours too." Rasima suggested.

"That would be really cool." Carly mused. The two catted some more as they finished their lunch. Carly got up from the table, seeing as she would have to return to work.

"It was nice talking to you again. Do you want to meet again on Thursday?" Carly offered.

"I'm game. Why don't we meet in the park near where you work and I'll make lunch for us next time. I've been itching to do some cooking of my own for a change."

"Wow…I bet it'll be delicious. Well, I better go then! See you on Thursday, Rasima!"

Rasima wrapped up what was left of her lunch and left a few minutes later after paying her part of the tab. As she walked out the door, she could see that the clouds were now blocking out the sun and colored a dark, angry grey.

"Crud. I better go grab my umbrella before it starts to pour." She rode back to the apartment, and just as she got in the rain started coming down.

She spent her afternoon watching TV and looking over her deck, searching through her database for cards that could further solidify her strategy.

"Fire Trooper… Counter Counter… Inferno…"

There wasn't a lot of TV that day save for the News and a few reruns of recent duels, including another Title match between Jack Atlas and another would-be opponent. This time, the opponent was from New York, and he looked highly insulted at his loss to the reigning champ. Jack seemed to strut around like a Peacock upon his victory, declaring his continuing role as the King of Riding Duels.

Rasima found it rather amusing.

"I'm not sure who's more full of himself…" She chuckled.

A few hours went by, and when she looked back up at the clock, she saw it was probably time to start heading over to Aoi's place. She quick sent a text to Simon and Kane to let them know she wouldn't be back until late, just so they would know. Rasima grabbed her things again, including an umbrella, and took her D-Wheel over to the Daimon area.

The rain was pouring down harder now, with lightening starting to crackle in the distance. Rasima shuddered from the boom of the thunder ringing in her ears. She didn't mind rain so much, but thunderstorms had always made her nervous, ever since she was a child.

The streets of the Daimon area were emptier than usual, most likely due to the weather. Trash blew about as the lightening grew closer and the thunder grew louder. Rasima felt her breathing grow heavy and she held her breath until she made it to the docks. There were men in rain coats working away, but she couldn't see any sign of Aoi.

"You looking for Onishi, doc?" The Boss she had met from before was working nearby, wearing a heavy blue raincoat. He remembered her from the first time and how she had told him she was Aoi's 'doctor'. So, whenever he ran into her, he would call her doc. She wondered if he ever figured out that she wasn't actually a doctor yet, but now that she was seeing Aoi after his shift, it probably didn't matter.

"Yeah, he's supposed to meet me here." She said, the wind starting to howl around her.

"He might not be showing up. He left a half-hour ago with a Sector Security officer and a couple of other men…"

Rasima paused. She started to get a bad feeling in her stomach.

"They were security as well?"

"Not from my perspective. They weren't in uniform, dressed like street thugs… between you and me, I think the officer was some dirty cop Onishi rubbed the wrong way. You know how he is…He stands around where nobody wants him. "

Rasima felt herself start to shake. He noticed her starting to react.

"Hey, hey… I don't think you're friends going to be sleeping with the fishes… But I won't give you any promises. Just go home, and check in on him tomorrow, ok?"

Rasima said nothing before starting up her D-Wheel again and riding off. However, she went around the docks and started heading to Aoi's apartment. She wasn't the type to pray at all, she wasn't even sure she believed in a God. But, she found herself begging furiously that Aoi was ok. Please let him only be roughed up a bit so she can patch him up…

She made it to the building, where she saw a security D-Wheel and a couple of other D-Wheels parked outside. She was guessing it belonged to the people who were threatening him. What was she thinking? She was outnumbered, and more than likely, they had guns. Rasima didn't have anything but her fists, and she didn't have a lot of power behind them.

But, she couldn't just leave her friend to suffer. Somebody had to stand up for him. And this time, there wasn't anybody else watching. She felt she couldn't hold back.

Rasima opened the door to the building and walked down the stairs. She could hear three men down below, and then the sound of Aoi letting out a yell.

"You've tried my patience for long enough, scum!"

Rasima could feel the indignant rage start to burn in her like a fire, and without thinking she started charging down the stairs.

"You're not even worthy of being deported to the Satellite. But I can't really give you much worse, so yours will be …'unofficial', shall we say."

"Aoi!" She found herself screaming his name. Everything else fell quiet.

"Someone's coming." Another one of the men noted in a hushed tone.

"I can hear that, you idiot! I'm not deaf! Now move your ass!"

Rasima found Aoi's door and opened it. She could see Aoi on the floor, slumped up against the couch. He had a black eye, his lip was bleeding, and he had several bruises all over his body. She stopped short of gasping in horror.

"Rasima… don't…"

"You better do as he says."

"Aoi! I need to get you out of here! We need to get help!"

"From where?" One of the men scoffed, "Who's security going to believe? One of their fellow officers? Or some street wench from the slums?"

"She's …not…involved…" Aoi's breath was short.

"Why should we believe you? I hear she hangs out at your place all the time! Who's to say how deep she is or isn't in the mess you've made!"

"At least let me come in and tend to his injuries!"

"Rasima… I said don't…"

"If you really want to come in that badly, I won't stop you." The man that spoke was probably the crooked officer. Rasima pulled out a package of bandages as she cautiously entered the dark room, approaching Aoi. The thunder was even closer, booming like a drum.

"Don't worry, Aoi, I'll patch you up. When this is over, I'll get you to a real doctor, ok? I'll get you help… I promise." She tried to reassure him. The situation seemed hopeless to him. Just then, the door slammed behind her, and she could hear the click of a gun being prepared for firing.

"You should have listened to him."

She heard the trigger pull. The gun fired, and she heard the casing hit the floor. But she saw no flash and Aoi appeared to be unharmed. That's when she felt the sudden rush of agonizing pain into her head, and felt herself collapsing to the ground against her will. She could see everything turning black around her, and that's when it hit her.

They shot her. Rasima could feel herself ebbing away, only weakly holding on to her life.

"Rasima!" He heard Aoi scream, his voice starting to echo in her head. She heard the footsteps of the men starting to leave. She heard another scoff and Aoi yell out in rage.

"I think you're punishment has been dealt. You get to keep your sorry life…but hers is the price you pay for that. And next time, no one will be stupid enough to try and save you…"

The door shut. Rasima felt something wet touch her hand. She couldn't see anything. Was it Aoi? Her own blood? As she felt herself lying there, a voice spoke to her in the midst of it all, dark and deep as a the roar of a quaking earth.

"I call to you as a messenger from the afterlife….you who are about to give up your life…"

Give up? No, she can't end it here. It's not over. It can't be! She felt her will trying to push her to get up, but she couldn't move. She could faintly here Aoi calling her name in the background, but the other voice was louder. Much louder.

"What regrets do you leave behind in this world?"

Oh, don't get me started, she thought. She still had an entire life ahead of her. There were still so many people she needed to meet. So many things that needed to be done. And then there was this city, she thought. This city needed to change. This corrupt system… Sector Security, whoever this Rex Goodwin was… it needed to be done away with. A new system must take its place.

"If you become a Dark Signer, I will make your dreams come true."

…..

**Author's Note:**

**Reviews, Subscriptions, and Favorites are encouraged.**

6th Entry: Dark Signer's Birth, Part 1

Another two weeks went by. Rasima had managed to put together a new deck with Aoi's help, and had been testing and improving it every day. Rasima also started to test the deck on her own, using a downloaded Duel Simulator for her laptop. Periodically, Kane and Simon would have the day off and take her places, allowing Rasima to explore more popular places in Neo Domino.

Rasima even managed to run into Carly a couple more times, getting to know more about the major players in the city when they met. The last time, Carly even gave her cell phone number to her, and the two were planning to meet again in the coming afternoon for a soda.

The young woman rose from her bed, dressing into a light grey t-shirt and light denim pants, and then quickly grabbed her things and her brown leather jacket. She locked up the apartment before she left as usual before picking up her D-Wheel in the Lot and heading out. Today there were a few clouds gathering in the sky, possibly a foretelling of rain to come later in the evening. Things seemed quieter in the city, since it was still early on in the week.

Rasima made her way to the restaurant where she was to meet Carly. It was styled like an American Diner, with bright pink neon and shiny marble countertops. As she walked inside, she could smell the grease of French fries.

"Hey, Rasima!" Carly waved to her, already seated at a booth. Rasima quickly joined her across the table. She pulled off her jacket and set it next to her, folding her hands in front of her.

"Doing any better since I last saw you, Carly?"

"A little," Carly stared into her water, "It's still difficult to keep up with everyone else at work, but I'm getting by ok."

"Well, just keep doing your best. That's all you can do." Rasima chuckled, "You seem more upbeat than the last couple of times I saw you."

"Yeah. I was really scared of losing my job there for a while. I wasn't bringing in any stories my boss liked and he was threatening to fire me." Carly sighed. She took a sip of her water before a waitress in a pink dress came up to them to take their order. When they were done and the waitress left to get them their food, Carly smiled and adjusted her glasses.

"But, like I said, things are better, at least for now. I found a story that he found interesting and so far that's kept me in good graces."

"But you'll have to find another one soon, I bet. You mentioned a deadline last time."

"Yeah. I wanted to interview some potential candidates for dueling who are considering challenging Jack Atlas in the coming months. But it's easier said than done, most of the more prominent reporters get to them first."

"Well, I guess that makes sense. Is there anybody that tends to get overlooked?"

"Most don't. There are a couple that have been more quiet about it, but I haven't been able to get a hold of their contact information yet. I'm still looking."

"And their contact information isn't made public, I'm assuming to keep people from harassing the crap out of them."

The waitress brought Rasima water and told them their order would be there shortly.

"Being a reporter at the bottom of the barrel isn't easy. But, you're right. I need to do my best. That's what will matter at the end of the day… I hope."

"It will," Rasima assured her, "I think you can do it. You're not jaded like lot of people in journalism. You seem to care about the truth and bringing out the good in people more than what makes you look good with the big shots. And if you can get people's attention, hey, I think you've got it made."

"You seem really confident of that."

"Well, I know moping about things doesn't do squat. Sometimes you just have to buckle down and keep going, even when things seem hard. Haha…"

She turned her head to look out at the city streets.

"Funny I don't follow my own advice as often as I should, though. There are days I just want to throw up my hands."

Carly giggled. The waitress brought them their food at that point and Rasima thanked her.

"You know, I think you want to bring out the best in other people, too, you've been very encouraging since the day you bought me lunch."

"You think so, huh? Well, I guess that's what I'm aiming for. Somebody's got to be in a person's corner." Rasima took a bite of food, feeling a little lonesome for home.

"They don't make the burgers here like they do back in America. Not where I live, anyway."

"You miss America, Rasima? You haven't really talked about that sort of thing."

"A little. There's a lot more open space and fewer people in the Midwest. A lot of small town charm too. There's dueling, of course, but it's much bigger on the coasts. And it's nowhere near as a part of people's lives as it is here."

Carly noticed cards sticking out of Rasima's pocket.

"Is that your deck, Rasima?"

"Kind of. A new friend I made in the city is helping me work on it. I dueled him a couple of weeks back and I blew it big time. My revolution deck was just a random assortment that just wasn't tightly knit together enough. So, we've been looking at stuff I was interested in and we've sort of transformed my deck into a Burn Deck."

"Doing lots of damage as fast as you can, huh? It can be pretty effective if you have the right defenses to protect your card effects from getting negated by counters."

"Yeah, and that's part of what we've been doing to improve it. We've been trying to find the right defenses that work into the overall theme of the deck." Rasima shook her head, "I've never spent so much time on dueling before. But I'm starting to learn how important dueling is in this city, and that it might be for my own good to try and get better."

"Have you done any riding duels at all? You have a D-Wheel." Carly pointed out.

"I've been getting pretty good at handling my D-Wheel, but I haven't been in any riding duels yet. I'm still kind of miffed you can't use regular Spells and you have to wait forever to use your good Speed Spells. But, Aoi said he might introduce me to someone in a couple of days who can show me the ropes."

"Well that's good. Between you and me, I'm not a really good duelist either. So, I think I understand. I wish I had the time to improve my deck."

Carly pulled her own deck out of her pocket.

"It's a Fortune Fairy Deck. They're really weak by themselves, but spells can give them give a load of attack power."

"Well, maybe someday you'll get some time and we could work on yours too." Rasima suggested.

"That would be really cool." Carly mused. The two catted some more as they finished their lunch. Carly got up from the table, seeing as she would have to return to work.

"It was nice talking to you again. Do you want to meet again on Thursday?" Carly offered.

"I'm game. Why don't we meet in the park near where you work and I'll make lunch for us next time. I've been itching to do some cooking of my own for a change."

"Wow…I bet it'll be delicious. Well, I better go then! See you on Thursday, Rasima!"

Rasima wrapped up what was left of her lunch and left a few minutes later after paying her part of the tab. As she walked out the door, she could see that the clouds were now blocking out the sun and colored a dark, angry grey.

"Crud. I better go grab my umbrella before it starts to pour." She rode back to the apartment, and just as she got in the rain started coming down.

She spent her afternoon watching TV and looking over her deck, searching through her database for cards that could further solidify her strategy.

"Fire Trooper… Counter Counter… Inferno…"

There wasn't a lot of TV that day save for the News and a few reruns of recent duels, including another Title match between Jack Atlas and another would-be opponent. This time, the opponent was from New York, and he looked highly insulted at his loss to the reigning champ. Jack seemed to strut around like a Peacock upon his victory, declaring his continuing role as the King of Riding Duels.

Rasima found it rather amusing.

"I'm not sure who's more full of himself…" She chuckled.

A few hours went by, and when she looked back up at the clock, she saw it was probably time to start heading over to Aoi's place. She quick sent a text to Simon and Kane to let them know she wouldn't be back until late, just so they would know. Rasima grabbed her things again, including an umbrella, and took her D-Wheel over to the Daimon area.

The rain was pouring down harder now, with lightening starting to crackle in the distance. Rasima shuddered from the boom of the thunder ringing in her ears. She didn't mind rain so much, but thunderstorms had always made her nervous, ever since she was a child.

The streets of the Daimon area were emptier than usual, most likely due to the weather. Trash blew about as the lightening grew closer and the thunder grew louder. Rasima felt her breathing grow heavy and she held her breath until she made it to the docks. There were men in rain coats working away, but she couldn't see any sign of Aoi.

"You looking for Onishi, doc?" The Boss she had met from before was working nearby, wearing a heavy blue raincoat. He remembered her from the first time and how she had told him she was Aoi's 'doctor'. So, whenever he ran into her, he would call her doc. She wondered if he ever figured out that she wasn't actually a doctor yet, but now that she was seeing Aoi after his shift, it probably didn't matter.

"Yeah, he's supposed to meet me here." She said, the wind starting to howl around her.

"He might not be showing up. He left a half-hour ago with a Sector Security officer and a couple of other men…"

Rasima paused. She started to get a bad feeling in her stomach.

"They were security as well?"

"Not from my perspective. They weren't in uniform, dressed like street thugs… between you and me, I think the officer was some dirty cop Onishi rubbed the wrong way. You know how he is…He stands around where nobody wants him. "

Rasima felt herself start to shake. He noticed her starting to react.

"Hey, hey… I don't think you're friends going to be sleeping with the fishes… But I won't give you any promises. Just go home, and check in on him tomorrow, ok?"

Rasima said nothing before starting up her D-Wheel again and riding off. However, she went around the docks and started heading to Aoi's apartment. She wasn't the type to pray at all, she wasn't even sure she believed in a God. But, she found herself begging furiously that Aoi was ok. Please let him only be roughed up a bit so she can patch him up…

She made it to the building, where she saw a security D-Wheel and a couple of other D-Wheels parked outside. She was guessing it belonged to the people who were threatening him. What was she thinking? She was outnumbered, and more than likely, they had guns. Rasima didn't have anything but her fists, and she didn't have a lot of power behind them.

But, she couldn't just leave her friend to suffer. Somebody had to stand up for him. And this time, there wasn't anybody else watching. She felt she couldn't hold back.

Rasima opened the door to the building and walked down the stairs. She could hear three men down below, and then the sound of Aoi letting out a yell.

"You've tried my patience for long enough, scum!"

Rasima could feel the indignant rage start to burn in her like a fire, and without thinking she started charging down the stairs.

"You're not even worthy of being deported to the Satellite. But I can't really give you much worse, so yours will be …'unofficial', shall we say."

"Aoi!" She found herself screaming his name. Everything else fell quiet.

"Someone's coming." Another one of the men noted in a hushed tone.

"I can hear that, you idiot! I'm not deaf! Now move your ass!"

Rasima found Aoi's door and opened it. She could see Aoi on the floor, slumped up against the couch. He had a black eye, his lip was bleeding, and he had several bruises all over his body. She stopped short of gasping in horror.

"Rasima… don't…"

"You better do as he says."

"Aoi! I need to get you out of here! We need to get help!"

"From where?" One of the men scoffed, "Who's security going to believe? One of their fellow officers? Or some street wench from the slums?"

"She's …not…involved…" Aoi's breath was short.

"Why should we believe you? I hear she hangs out at your place all the time! Who's to say how deep she is or isn't in the mess you've made!"

"At least let me come in and tend to his injuries!"

"Rasima… I said don't…"

"If you really want to come in that badly, I won't stop you." The man that spoke was probably the crooked officer. Rasima pulled out a package of bandages as she cautiously entered the dark room, approaching Aoi. The thunder was even closer, booming like a drum.

"Don't worry, Aoi, I'll patch you up. When this is over, I'll get you to a real doctor, ok? I'll get you help… I promise." She tried to reassure him. The situation seemed hopeless to him. Just then, the door slammed behind her, and she could hear the click of a gun being prepared for firing.

"You should have listened to him."

She heard the trigger pull. The gun fired, and she heard the casing hit the floor. But she saw no flash and Aoi appeared to be unharmed. That's when she felt the sudden rush of agonizing pain into her head, and felt herself collapsing to the ground against her will. She could see everything turning black around her, and that's when it hit her.

They shot her. Rasima could feel herself ebbing away, only weakly holding on to her life.

"Rasima!" He heard Aoi scream, his voice starting to echo in her head. She heard the footsteps of the men starting to leave. She heard another scoff and Aoi yell out in rage.

"I think you're punishment has been dealt. You get to keep your sorry life…but hers is the price you pay for that. And next time, no one will be stupid enough to try and save you…"

The door shut. Rasima felt something wet touch her hand. She couldn't see anything. Was it Aoi? Her own blood? As she felt herself lying there, a voice spoke to her in the midst of it all, dark and deep as a the roar of a quaking earth.

"I call to you as a messenger from the afterlife….you who are about to give up your life…"

Give up? No, she can't end it here. It's not over. It can't be! She felt her will trying to push her to get up, but she couldn't move. She could faintly here Aoi calling her name in the background, but the other voice was louder. Much louder.

"What regrets do you leave behind in this world?"

Oh, don't get me started, she thought. She still had an entire life ahead of her. There were still so many people she needed to meet. So many things that needed to be done. And then there was this city, she thought. This city needed to change. This corrupt system… Sector Security, whoever this Rex Goodwin was… it needed to be done away with. A new system must take its place.

"If you become a Dark Signer, I will make your dreams come true."

…..

**Author's Note:**

**Reviews, Subscriptions, and Favorites are encouraged.**


	7. 7th Entry: Dark Signer's Birth, Part 2

7th Entry: Dark Signer's Birth, Part 2

Dark Signer?

"Are…are you sure you're really from the afterlife?" She asked aloud, but she found herself feeling that she wasn't in Aoi's apartment anymore. Instead, she was standing up, walking around in a blinding white light, unable to escape from it.

"…Hello?"

Rasima saw the black outline of a figure walking towards her.

"What is a Dark Signer? What do you want from me?"

As the figure got closer, Rasima thought it very much resembled a dog. Its fur seemed to blow from side to side, though she felt no wind. Its eyes glittered with malevolence, pale grey as a corpse covered in dust. Its black body started to glow with lines of the same grey color running in every direction like archaic tattoos.

The dog uttered a low growl.

"I do want to live, that's for sure. I'm not done yet."

The dog growled louder at the sound of her voice. She stood confrontationally and glared at the dog. It hunched its back over as if to strike. Rasima instinctively started walking towards the dog, but she didn't falter in fear. It allowed her to come close enough that she was staring it straight in the face.

Then, the dog finally lunged at her, knocking her to the ground. She did not open her mouth to scream, but curled up into a ball to prevent it from tearing her apart. However, the dog simply had her pinned down, staring at her with its otherworldly eyes.

She found everything beginning to fade, but finally heard the voice again, coming from the dog's mouth. She felt things begin to change around her.

"You will do, for now…"

…

Aoi managed to rise from his feet and pick Rasima off of the floor. She was bleeding out from the bullet she took to the head.

"Rasima… you shouldn't have… I'm so sorry."

He could feel that she had already stopped breathing. Whatever was her had left.

"No… No…"

He was on the verge of weeping.

Suddenly there was an eerie purple glow all around him. Violet flames emerged from the floor. He looked in his arms to see his new-found friend's wounds starting to disappear. He was then shocked to see something shimmering on her arm in the same light.

"What… the hell?"

On her right arm, a primitive outline of a dog appeared on her hand. He could begin to hear voices whispering in the shadows, and the smell of earth and metallic iron drifting around the room.

"Rasima! What the hell? What happening?"

Her body became enveloped in purple light and started to disappear from the room. In a few seconds, she was gone, and the light and flames had vanished. Aoi stumbled and fell to the floor, aghast at what he had just seen.

"Rasima! What… what are you?" He struggled to pick himself up again, and picked up the bandages she had dropped to the floor when she was shot. But there was no other thing that belonged to her. Aoi slowly walked outside. The three D-Wheels belonging to the Security guard and the thugs were gone. The rain had stopped. But Rasima's D-Wheel was also nowhere to be found.

Aoi's body wracked with pain and he was forced to lean on the steps of his apartment building. It was as if all traces of her had disappeared.

"I…I don't know what to do… I… I need to tell… her friend…"

…..

"Argh!" Rasima stretched herself out on the ground, "What a terrible dream…"

She turned onto her back and opened her eyes slowly. The sky was still clouded over, but things were much darker, indicating it was now in the middle of the night. And she still wasn't back in Aoi's apartment or any place she recognized.

"And what are the chances that I'm STILL dreaming? God blast it…"

Dust was swirling in the wind. Rasima expected to start hacking up a storm, but nothing happened. She quietly sat up, feeling a tug on her neck. She pulled out the edge of a long piece of cloth from underneath herself, realizing she was now wearing a hooded cloak, blacker than night with a pale grey trim. She tugged upward on the hood as she turned her gaze to see her D-Wheel, only a few feet away from her, along with her helmet.

But what really got her attention was the scene all around her. There were mountainous heaps of debris and garbage everywhere, and everything seemed to have grey or brown tinges to it. She could see buildings off in the distance, but they were all old and damaged. One skyscraper even had a giant chunk missing like a monster had gone through the area and ripped it out. Others had smashed windows, missing roofs, smashed-in walls, and large object projecting from various places.

"Where am I supposed to be, exactly?"

She was still expecting her asthma to kick in from the soot and dust. But she still felt no sense that it would. The woman tilted her gaze downward, now seeing it was her entire outfit that was different, not just the addition of the cloak. Underneath the cloak was a vest that was black with pale grey like the cloak, with matching black shorts and a light blue t-shirt, almost as if the color of her clothes had become inverted from her previous outfit. But her old clothes were nowhere in sight.

"I liked those clothes, too…"

She saw she was at the top of a hill, and down below there were people walking about.

"Maybe talking to one of these folks will help… or not… I'm still convinced this is some crazy dream. But, it's the only thing I can think of to do right now."

As she grabbed her D-wheel, a purple smudge caught her eye. On her right arm, she saw it wasn't a smudge, but a marking that looked like a dog. She remembered the dog she saw before and was tempted to slap herself in the face.

"Oh, hell no… am I supposed to be a Dark Signer?"

She pulled herself onto her D-Wheel, seeing the normal engraved patterns were replaced by the archaic patterns she had seen on the dog. She picked up her helmet and put it on. Her face became partially concealed by the dark blue visor.

"This is crazy."

She started up her D-Wheel and raced down the hill to the streets below. People were starting to gather in various buildings, but before they all could leave, she yelled and got the attention of one man who was heading into a rundown old home.

"Hey, I'm really sorry to bother you, but can you tell me where I am? I'm kind of lost."

"Trying to keep out of sight of Security by not using your GPS?" The man asked. Rasima gave him a puzzled look.

"You do know that you need to keep that thing under wraps, right? If Sector Security finds your D-Wheel, they'll confiscate it."

In her time in Neo Domino City, she hadn't heard of such a thing.

"Oh, yeah, I know that!" She lied, trying to make the man suspicious. "That's why I asked."

The man smiled at her.

"Well, that's fine. Security deserves whatever shit gets thrown at them. We Satellites need to stick up for ourselves, however we can."

…Satellites?

"Anyway, you're in District G. I suggest you find a place to hunker down for the night before Security starts their nightly patrol. Not if you want them to take that pretty D-Wheel from you."

The man went inside the home. The name District G didn't tell her a thing, but when he called her and himself Satellites… that told her volumes more about where she was. She started to remember what Aoi told her a couple of weeks back. Her surroundings were beginning to make sense.

"This… this is the Satellite… oh my god… I'm supposed to be in the Satellite…"

She started to question for a second of this was really a dream, or if her mind was just that clever at maintaining the illusion.

…..

Rudger felt a sudden surge in negative energy course though him as he sat in the dimly lit room with the other two Dark Signers again, the candles on the candelabrum burning brightly amidst the dark. Demak and Kiryu could feel the surge as well, their marks causing them great pain for a moment or two.

"A new Dark Signer has just been born…" Rudger finally spoke. Demak folded his hands.

"So, the Earthbound Gods also thought it best to add more to the fold?"

"I can only sense the presence of one new Dark Signer… but their Earthbound God has brought them to the Satellite to meet us." Rudger smirked.

"I can sense their power here in the Satellite for sure." Demak concurred.

"The spiders are my eyes and ears. I can see her trying to find a place in the darkness, away from the vigilant eyes of Sector Security." Rudger added.

"Her?" Kiryu perked up at Rudger's change in pronouns.

"And this is not the Dark Signer that was born in the city not too long ago?" Demak asked.

"No, that one remains in the city, awaiting her appointed time."

"So, should we go give her a welcome party, then?" Kiryu kicked back in his chair, folding his hands in his lap and smiling devilishly.

"I will go to retrieve her. Both of you are to remain here." Rudger told them sternly. Kiryu's smile faded, his fun having been dashed. Demak nodded unquestioningly at Rudger's orders. Rudger rose from the table and departed from the room.

"Hmph." Kiryu grunted disapprovingly.

"I am also curious about this new addition. But, there will be plenty of time to get acquainted when Rudger has retrieved her from the surface of the Satellite."

Demak glanced over at Kiryu.

"You wish to test her metal in a duel, I am guessing?"

"Perhaps it will pass the time until I can carry out my revenge on Yusei." Kiryu mused.

"We don't know anything about this Dark Signer. But, she was brought here… so she is not from the Satellite…she must be from the city, then."

"So she is even further evidence that Sector Security cannot keep the influence of the Earthbound Gods out of the city." Kiryu noted thoughtfully.

"Rudger said that Rex Goodwin was a fool for thinking he could. Cutting off the people of the Satellite from the city has only created more strife that the Earthbound Gods can feast upon in preparation for their coming ascendance. Neo Domino was never the Utopia he wanted it to be, and it never will…"

"So, I guess I was right when I was alive… even if I left the Satellite, there would be nowhere for me to go…"

Demak could see Kiryu tensing up.

"In any case, Rudger won't be very long. I think we should get a room set aside for her when she comes." Demak suggested.

….

Rasima found an abandoned tower and hid herself and her D-Wheel in the back of the ground floor. She curled up on a torn chair, trying her best to sleep, hoping that she would wake up from these events she believed to be a dream. As she was finally starting to be pulled into slumber, she heard a familiar ring coming from the pocket of her shorts.

"My cell phone?"

She picked it up out of her pocket, seeing it was still intact. There were several unreads texts and a voice message, all from Simon, except for one text, which was from her parents. She looked at the date and time and she cradled her head in her hands.

"Ah… no… I can read and understand what I'm reading… that's usually a good sign you're not dreaming… And it's the right date and everything…"

Simon had noticed she wasn't coming home was starting to worry about her, from the sound of the messages, and the voice mail didn't sound any different. She started to feel guilty inside. If this was really happening to her, then Simon and Kane… and god forbid… her parents… they wouldn't believe… they would think she had lost her mind. But, they loved her, she countered, and she could use the GPS on her phone to show she was in the Satellite, and then they could find help to get her out.

But then a strange thought occurred to her. What if she didn't want to leave just yet? This was the Satellite, after all. She had been wondering what this place was like since she had heard about it. She had the urge to put her phone away, but she stopped herself.

No, she thought. I need to at least let them know I'm alive. She opened her phone and quickly replied to one of Simon's text messages.

"I'm ok. For now."

She closed the phone, still feeling the urge to shove it in her pocket and forget. But, she held it there in her hands as sleep finally started overtaking her.

"Unless I wake up from this soon, I guess I just have to believe this is all really happening to me, don't I? What have I gotten myself into…"

Slumber welcomed her and she followed eagerly. Her sleep was filled with dreams, repeating the events of the gunshot to her head and the dog she met in the white light. But, they were twisted further and further each time. Each had its own layer of surrealism.

It was a few hours before she would awake again. She was hard and fast asleep, until a big, firm hand grasped her shoulder and gently shook her.

"Arise." A deep voice broke the pattern in her dreams and summoned her from her sleep. At first she did not respond though, assuming it was her dream and tried to go back to sleep.

"Arise, Dark Signer," The voice was a little louder, and she realized it came from back in the waking world, "It is your time to join your fellows in the shadows."


End file.
